*Disclaimer* This post is about nursing, so if you are a guy and this makes you uncomfortable, don't read this post. That is, if there are any guys out there who read my blog. Except for Jarom, you're required by law to read my blog.
That said, I'm just going to vent a little bit and see if anyone out there can offer any advice, or at least a bit of sympathy.
My goal with Emilie has been to nurse her at least through her first birthday, which is only a couple weeks away! The first obstacle was her nursing strike a little while ago. We eventually made it through that ok and were back to our normal routine. Then she got a few more teeth and the last two weeks or so I've been getting very painful sores from where her teeth rub against my skin.
I thought that maybe it was due to her latch, so I tried to get her to latch on differently, but when she's been eating that way her whole life, she's not about to change. I tried other positions, but with a baby as big as she is, certain positions just don't work as well. But even with other positions, the sores would start to form on those sides too, where ever her teeth would end up. It's getting to the point where it is ridiculously painful to nurse and I dread it each time.
Since she won't use a bottle, I've been offering her sippy cups and she's getting pretty good at drinking out of those. So far, she'll only drink juice, not milk, but it's a start. I think I've just about had it with nursing and am going to start weaning her as soon as she can take a full serving of milk from her sippy cup.
But until then, any advice on coping with the pain? Or advice on weaning? (I have a feeling she's not going to like that whole process at all.)
8 comments:
Ouchie! I don't have much advice, other than make sure it's not Thrush. We had that and it HURT.
How about trying to get her to take a bottle instead of waiting until she can drink enough milk from a sippy cup? (I think she'll start to take one if that's the only way to drink.) To me, 1 year old is pretty young to have a baby completely off of a bottle and drinking all their liquid from a cup. If you can't nurse anymore (and I don't blame you at all...ouch!) maybe our little Emilie will learn to take a bottle for awhile.
Hi!
Most Pediatricians want baby's off the bottle by a year - so I wouldn't start that just to have to get over that too :)
When we took Sam's formula away he wouldn't try any other kinds of milk and he still won't drink it - little stink pot :)
He does like milkshakes (and cool whip for that matter) lol!
I guess things have changed since I raised my 5 boys. Their Pediatrician never encouraged me to take them off of the bottle by 1 year! Maybe the best thing for you to do, Cloey, is talk with your Pediatrician and get some suggestions. You can be proud of yourself for nursing for so long. You still nursed her for a year in my book!
Hi Cloey, I always used lansinoh brand lanolin for sores or bleeding. Leslie was a biter and along with the lanolin I would have to change her position to heal. But you've done good so now good luck on the weening :)
Ouch! I never did the whole nursing thing well, so I think it is AMAZING that you have done it for a whole year! congrats! I have heard of this problem alot, when babies won't take bottles because they get use to their moms. It happened to my sister-in-law. She tried just not nursing until her baby got hungry enough to take the bottle. It was a hard transition, but it eventually worked. I am no expert in this, so I offer my sympathy!
Well not being a nurser myself, I have no advice to offer... but I do offer a great amount of sympathy - ouch!!
I was advised to take Aren off the bottle too, but it was not by my pediatrician but by a health consultant. i had a hard time doing that, but I made Aren get rid of her bottle and choose a sippy cup instead. It worked pretty well with her. I used the nipple shield with Adam at the beginning because it was painful; maybe you can try using that and it might heal faster. I also used a nipple cream at the same time. I switched between the shield and normal feeding, and it worked for me. Now I am getting a little sore too, but he is not teething yet. My goal is one year, no matter what other people say. :D
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